aea hp max .357 barrel leak

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acid4bane

acid4bane

Member
Apr 11, 2023
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fargo,nd, 58103
Recently I just picked up a aea HP Max 357 and before I got to the end of the first clip it was like something stayed open in the gun and all the air leaked out of the barrel and upon trying to refill it I can hear and feel the air coming out the barrel and I'm not sure what to do about it I've watched a couple videos and tightened valve inside of the tank and put it back on to no results I'm just wondering where I go from here
 
It can only be your firing valve/poppet. Hear of them breaking often but folks say they are easy to work on. Buy several if planning on heavy shooting.

You are using a tank to fill correct? A pump may well not close it if empty. If empty are you cocking it before filling? And naturally the smallest chance of debris in they valve seat, you might (with ALL due caution) hook up the tank flow some air while trying to fire and seat it.

John
 
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spysir said:
It can only be your firing valve/poppet. Hear of them breaking often but folks say they are easy to work on. Buy several if planning on heavy shooting.

You are using a tank to fill correct? A pump may well not close it if empty. If empty are you cocking it before filling? And naturally the smallest chance of debris in they valve seat, you might (with ALL due caution) hook up the tank flow some air while trying to fire and seat it.

John
Click to expand...
Never use the tank and really don't even know how but I'm interested in the idea of it but only because my phone takes like 20 minutes and the one time that I filled it before I think I may have only gotten lucky but I didn't hear any air coming out the barrel the first time see what else your text says here I did talk before feeling and nothing happened but I do like to believe the fact that maybe my pumps not doing enough to close that valve so how do I do that without a tank
 
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Return it and buy a different airgun. I hate to say it, but I ended up spending months working on one HP max in 357. Sent it back for repairs and it still leaked. traded for another one, never held air for long.

In your case, it is the valve seat that is the problem. This gun uses a metal poppet that seals against a plastic ring. Those rings break every couple hundred shots. The valve in the tank that you tightened is a way to deal with a leak that will happen where you insert the probe (both of my .357 max guns eventually leaked at the port for the probe).

If you can find someone who can sell you a new valve seat (good luck…), I recommend buying a handful of them because they are a consumable item that will need to be replaced regularly.
 
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MrP said:
Return it and buy a different airgun. I hate to say it, but I ended up spending months working on one HP max in 357. Sent it back for repairs and it still leaked. traded for another one, never held air for long.

In your case, it is the valve seat that is the problem. This gun uses a metal poppet that seals against a plastic ring. Those rings break every couple hundred shots. The valve in the tank that you tightened is a way to deal with a leak that will happen where you insert the probe (both of my .357 max guns eventually leaked at the port for the probe).

If you can find someone who can sell you a new valve seat (good luck…), I recommend buying a handful of them because they are a consumable item that will need to be replaced regularly.
Click to expand...

Do we really know if it's the valve seat or the valve pin without inspecting it?

I just purchased a HP SS 30+ (I know slightly different gun) from a member here that has a broken valve pin. It's a 10 minute repair at most. On these semi-autos the pins can break, but the valve seat isn't a common issue AFAIK (although I had one previously for about a year and used it lots and it never broke, which is why I happily purchased this broken one for a good price). There is also this available which may be better than buying a $25 OEM valve pin from BinTac.

www.ebay.com

Enhanced Main Valve Pin for AEA HP Series Caliber .17, .22, .25, & .30 (not 357) | eBay

Common to all AEA HP Series and other PCP Air Rifle is the premature breakage of the Main Valve Pin/Steam and OEM design is common to all AEA, Benjamin, Kral, and others. This premature breakage is cause by the bending and impact loading on the valve as illustrated on Picture 07.
www.ebay.com

If it is the valve seat, OP will know when he removes the valve pin and it's not damaged. In that case, couldn't one fabricate a more robust valve seat from peak or some other higher-test materials?
 
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which piece # is the problem(s)?
SmartSelect_20230411-100242_Adobe Acrobat.jpg
 
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It's either this or as the poster above said, it could be the part this seats into.

www.bintacllc.com

AEA Valve Pin For All HP Airguns | My Site

AEA Replacement Valve Pin For All AEA HPCondition is "New"Part of the requirements for listing in this category state that sellers include the disclaimer
www.bintacllc.com www.bintacllc.com

Stuff in that diagram looks a bit different but it seems like parts 12 through 19 are what you need to inspect.

This video will show you how to replace the pin and seal. I don't see the seals for sale on BinTac website but you can always text or email Bin Lu and ask (if that's what you find is broken).

 
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acid4bane said:
I'm getting ready to go take this thing apart on how I know if I come across what the problem is before I get to all that stuff I mean what if it's just dirt or something I hope but it probably isn't right
Click to expand...

Let us know what you discover, we're here to help. You want to remove the pin and see if it's broken or damaged. If not, you need to shine a light in there and take a good look at the valve seal. I've never taken a valve seal out but the video I posted above might help you extract and inspect it.
 
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they are sending me a shipping label so we can go all the way back to Florida and their technician can take a look at it and fix it and then I think they're going to send it back I don't know they must I don't seem like a big headache I didn't think they're going to take it though because they only honor returns are less than 30 days and if it hasn't been used at all how would I ever find out if there's anything wrong with it if I didn't use it
 
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silvershooter589 said:
Do we really know if it's the valve seat or the valve pin without inspecting it?

I just purchased a HP SS 30+ (I know slightly different gun) from a member here that has a broken valve pin. It's a 10 minute repair at most. On these semi-autos the pins can break, but the valve seat isn't a common issue AFAIK (although I had one previously for about a year and used it lots and it never broke, which is why I happily purchased this broken one for a good price). There is also this available which may be better than buying a $25 OEM valve pin from BinTac.

www.ebay.com

Enhanced Main Valve Pin for AEA HP Series Caliber .17, .22, .25, & .30 (not 357) | eBay

Common to all AEA HP Series and other PCP Air Rifle is the premature breakage of the Main Valve Pin/Steam and OEM design is common to all AEA, Benjamin, Kral, and others. This premature breakage is cause by the bending and impact loading on the valve as illustrated on Picture 07.
www.ebay.com

If it is the valve seat, OP will know when he removes the valve pin and it's not damaged. In that case, couldn't one fabricate a more robust valve seat from peak or some other higher-test materials?
Click to expand...


It’s very unlikely it’s the valve pin because on the .357 max it is a solid piece of metal and isn’t going to break. The valve seat is the only plastic part. The HP series uses the plastic valve pin not the max.
 
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Well I got it back about a week ago and it said it was the valve seal the thing that the pin seats into like you guys thought but now when I go to shoot it there's no power at all like the palace barely come tumbling out the barrel it could not Pierce a cardboard box I got like maybe one good shot I filled it up all the way to 45 Saddam versus another problem and I'm beginning to see why people are saying that AA sucks is there anything I can do about this lack of power or is there something they forgot to do how do I get my gun shooting right again
 
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